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Brecht Exile Lecture Links HUAC Cuts to Displacement

8/16/2026

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Story summary
  • Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué presented an illustrated lecture that uses Bertolt Brecht’s exile after the 1933 Reichstag fire to examine contemporary displacement.
  • They accompanied the lecture with pianist Henrik Kairies who performed songs by Brecht and Hanns Eisler.
  • They characterize the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) livelihood cuts as “cold execution.”
  • They note that HUAC denied Brecht the opportunity to read his prepared statement during its hearings.